Text Size

-

+

reset

“He won’t say it [criticize the shutdown] in a debate, and that’s why Chris Christie is an excellent politician,” Maher said on the “Last Word.” “You know, for those people that say, Chris Christie is not going to work down in Texas or the South. I disagree. I think Chris Christie has positioned himself perfectly.”

Maher said Christie is in the “sweet spot for a politician” because both the right and the left think he’s closer to the other side.

“What I hear, from the left, is, ‘Oh, you don’t realize how conservative Chris Christie really is. He’s not really a moderate.’ And what I hear from the right is the exact opposite,” Maher said.

The HBO show host predicted the governor’s savvy could lead him all the way to the White House.

“Chris Christie does every once in a while say something that mollifies the moderates and independents and even some Democrats. I’m sure that is how he got elected in my home state, which is after all a blue state,” Maher said. “He also is actually a very conservative politician who is perfectly capable of throwing the red meat to the tea party. And he will do a little of each until he gets the nomination and maybe the White House.”